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On 8 October 2024, the European Parliament Strasbourg plenary will vote on the mobilisation of the European Union Solidarity Fund (EUSF) to provide assistance in favour of Italy, Slovenia, Austria, Greece and France relating to six major natural disasters occurred in 2023, basically caused by rainfall and provoking floods, which included the loss of some human lives in the case of Italy and Greece and the force removal of thousands of people from their homes.
Damages ranged from EUR 208 million in the case of Austria to EUR 11,2 billion in Italy. The EUSF was set up to support European Union Member States and accession countries by offering financial support after severe natural disasters and major health emergencies.
According to the European Union budgetary procedure in force, EUSF grants in favour of Member States must be approved by the European Parliament and the Council following a proposal from the Commission.
In this case, the European Commission has proposed the Council to adopt a decision that assigns payments to the five referred Member States. However, the actual disbursements coming from the EUSF will only be partial in comparison to the mentioned total damages caused by the disasters, as for instance Austria will receive EUR 5 million (2.5% of the total quantity of damages) and Italy will be awarded EUR 447 million (4% of the same total damage).
At its meeting of 23 September 2024, the European Parliament Committee on Budgets already approved the report welcoming the proposed decision, by a majority of 30 votes in favour, two against, and an abstention. The two negative votes were respectively cast by Mr. Dick Erixon (European Conservatives and Reformists Group, Sweden) and Mr. Alexander Jungbluth (Europe of Sovereign Nations Group, Germany). Mr. Auke Zijstra (Patriots for Europe Group, The Netherlands) abstained. The rapporteur for the report has been Mr. Georgios Aftias (Group of the European People’s Party, Greece).
The European Parliament draft resolution, which replicates one hundred per cent the Committee on Budgets’ report, welcomes the decision proposal. However, it also “highlights the increasing number of severe and destructive natural disasters in Europe” (paragraph 4). We should add that it fails to give any data on that alleged subject of an increasing number of sever and destructive natural disasters in Europe.
That looks like the typical alarmist statement belonging to a radical green agenda. Furthermore, the text calls on Member States and the Commission to invest in climate mitigation and adaptation measures. Why is there a need to “mitigate climate”? This is once more not explained and taken for granted.
The alleged increasing disasters and need for climate mitigation bring the Parliament draft to ask for an expansion of the budget of the EUSF, which once more lacks any quantitative background, nor is there any indication of what the expansion should amount to.
Finally, paragraph 6 calls on the Member States and the Commission to deliver their contribution to achieve the objectives agreed at the Paris Climate Summit, a clearer hint that the report mixes a legitimate claim (the solidarity of the remaining Member States towards the five affected) with the ideological mantras of the United Nations COP21 Conference.
Perhaps the parliamentary Groups more concerned with a proper allocation of taxpayers’ money and less interested in following ideological trends should propose some separate votes on the mentioned paragraphs 4 and 6 of the draft resolution.
Such separate votes and split votes could serve as key votes in order to decide whether the text finally deserves explicit support or, rather, an abstention reflecting, on the one hand, the solidarity of the other Member States towards the impacted one, while, on the other, the distance to sentimentality and ideology.
Source of image: Inforegio – European Union Solidarity Fund